Pholus

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In astronomy, 5145 Pholus is the name of a Centaur (planetoid) planetoid discovered in 1992 by David L. Rabinowitz.

In Greek mythology, Pholus was a wise centaur and friend of Herakles who lived in a cave on or near Mount Pelion.

The differing accounts vary in details, but each story contains the following elements: Herakles visited his cave sometime before or after the completion of his fourth Labor, the capture of the Erymanthian Boar. When Herakles drank from a jar of wine in the possession of Pholus, the neighboring centaurs smelled its fragrant odor and, driven characteristically mad, charged into the cave. The majority were slain by Herakles, and the rest were chased to another location (in a work attributed to Apollodorus, Cape Meleia) where the peaceful centaur Chiron was accidentally wounded by the arrows of Herakles which were soaked in the venomous blood of the Lernaean Hydra. In most accounts, Chiron surrendered his immortality to be free from the agony of the poison.

While this pursuit and second combat was occurring, Pholus, back in his cave, accidentally wounded himself with one of the venomous arrows while he was either marveling at how such a small thing could kill a centaur (Apollodorus) or preparing the corpses for burial (Diodoros). He died quickly as a result of the poison's outrageous virulence and was found by Herakles.

Much later, authors like Hyginus (in his De Astronomia) became confused with these details since Chiron and Pholus, both being the only civilized centaurs in Greek myth, died in the same story. Consequently, his writings in places exhibit a conflation of details as a result of his typical inaccuracy.

In the Divine Comedy Pholus is found with the other centaurs patrolling the banks of the river Phlegethon in the seventh circle of Hell.

[edit] Pholus, Chiron, and the other Centaurs

It is well known that Chiron, the famously civilized centaur, had origins which differed from those of the other centaurs. Chiron was the son of Cronus and a minor goddess Philyra, which accounted for his exceptional intelligence and honor, whereas the other centaurs were bestial and brutal, being the descendants of the unholy rape of a minor cloud-goddess by the mortal king Ixion. Where Chiron was immortal and could die only voluntarily, the other centaurs were mortal like men and animals.

Pholus, like Chiron, was civilized, and indeed in art sometimes shared the "human-centaur" form in which Chiron was usually depicted (that is, he was a man from head to toe, but with the center and hindparts of a horse attached to his buttocks). This form was of course used to differentiate Chiron and Pholus from all other centaurs, who were mostly represented as men only from the head to the waist, and therefore more animal-like.

To further account for the unusually civil behavior of Pholus, Apollodorus wrote that his parents were Silenus and one of the Meliae, thus differentiating him genealogically from the other centaurs, as Chiron was known to be. This different parentage apparently did not carry with it immortality, however, and Pholus died just as the other centaurs.

[edit] Pholous in Astrology

The Centaurs are increasingly used by astrologers. One theme of Pholus, according to the co-author of the first book on the subject, is "Small cause, big effect."

Pholus was the second Centaur discovered. It was due to this discovery that the planetary class was defined (Chiron and Phlolus were then grouped into the new class), and indeed, the discoveries proceeded very rapidly from there -- consistent with the archetypal nature of Pholus.

In 1992, there was another significant "second discovery" within a class of planets: that of the first planet beyond the Pluto-Charon binary system -- the as yet unnamed (15760) 1992 QB1. In other words, this was the year of the discovery of the Kuiper Belt, a vast region of space where millions of small planets reside.

Prior to the discovery of QB1, the Kuiper Belt had only been theorized, but with a second discovery, there was finally tangible evidence. As of this writing, there are more than 20 named bodies in both classes (Chiron and Kuiper objects), which together constitute a completely different Solar System cosmos than the ones that any prior generations of astrologers have encountered or even pondered.

In a sense, Pholus offered a "vague precognition" to the discovery of these realms, other keywords given by von Heeren. But when Pholus is involved, such vague perception often leads to concrete and tangible results. Something starts like a wispy notion (Neptune-styled) and then rapidly takes on form (Saturn-styled).

Given that Pholus's orbit crosses the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, with their revolutionary changes and compelling spiritual processes, as well as that of Saturn, the most traditional planet, you can be sure it carries a lot of energy wherever it goes, and can wear many masks.

At other times, the energy of Pholus feels like a pressure release, akin to shaking up a bottle of Pepsi on a hot day, and promptly opening it. It's just that the stuff keeps coming out. A genie coming out of a bottle is perhaps a better metaphor, but that, too, comes with the sense of materialization.

Pholus has a quality of opening the door to the infinite. Depending on the door, that may or may not be helpful, or seem helpful, but it is what it is and when Pholus has become active, it's necessary to get out of denial and work with the energy consciously.

Pholus has the property of release from situations, thus opening to new possibilities, and emerging into new states of existence. It is the Centaur of fast-moving changes, or rapid transformations, typically initiated by one's own action. Something as simple as curiosity or a chance encounter may start the chain of events.

One quality of Pholus experience is, "I would never have done that if I knew what I was getting into," sometimes with the added idea, "but I'm glad I did." A small gesture that leads to something large, a minor project that becomes one's life work, an experiment that takes on a life of its own, leading to many developments, all are properties of Pholus.

Pholus, von Heeren adds, is "the catalyst and provider for a landslide-like change (in history for example) and turning points," adding, "Pholus exaggerates energies in their raw state. Pholus is an emphasizer."

In some cases, Pholus activity represents or instigates situations in which something gets out and you can't get it back in, such as when riots begin and the government cannot stop them, or you make one change and it cascades into a series of other developments. This same quality also gives Phlous experiences the quality of a leap to a new level.

Another quality of Pholus is anything involving three generations, which relates to its mythology. Pholus was the keeper of a cask of wine given to him by Dionysys, which he had kept three generations, and which was the collective property of all the Centaurs. Wherever there is a question within an astrology counseling situation that may be multigenerational, no matter what the subject, the position of Pholus in the natal chart or transits at the time can offer insight and assistance.

Look for the influence of ancestors, issues and gripes to be taken up with ancestors, and one's relationship to predecessors of any kind. Pholus, in this respect, addresses issues that belong to the entire tribe, collective psychological property, and group responses to situations.

Pholus has a relationship to addictions and the healing of addictions, as well as their causes and consequences, which often have multigenerational and group causes and effects that may or may not include the actual substance itself -- but rather the effects of being raised under its influence, attitudes toward the substance, or attitudes passed from a grandparent.